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How
to dry out a building after a flood?
1. First extract all pooled water. Use
an extractor or wet-vacuum.
2. If there are carpets that got flooded,
pull them up or get them out completely
depending on the severity of the flood.
3. Install blowers and commercial dehumidifiers
as soon as possible. Leave the equipment
until all surfaces and voids are completely
dried out. This will usually take several
days, from 2-3 in case of a minor surface
flood to 10-20 days in case of significant
flooding into walls, floors, or ceilings.
The placement of the equipment is important
in order to optimize the drying effort
and quickly get rid all trapped and
hidden water in ceilings, walls or floor.
Large buildings that experienced flooding
need to be dried out with large commercial
desiccant dehumidifiers. These units
are typically skid or trailer mounted.
They are used in large volume air spaces
or large building that got flooded over
a large area. They are very effective
and the method is one of very few options
in drying out large structures. Call
AQ for information about capacity and
prices to rent desiccant dehumidifiers.
The amount of time the equipment is
needed depends on several factors: 1.
the amount of water that leaked, 2.
how much hidden water is present inside
ceilings, walls and floor, 3. What type
of surfaces is preventing the moisture
from evaporating, is there vinyl flooring,
floor tiles, water proof vinyl wall
paper etc.
4. The drying effort should be recorded
and monitored on a regular basis by
checking the moisture levels in the
different rooms.
5. Track down all moisture before deciding
where to place the drying equipment.
The most common instrument used to find
water in walls is the moisture
meter. It is a hand held tool the
size of a PDA that indicates moisture
when in contact with a wet wall. The
newest state-of-the-art instrument available
is the Thermal Infrared Camera. The
Thermal Infrared Camera is a very expensive
instrument. The technician can see wet
surfaces displayed on a small TV screen.
The wet or moist surfaces appears on
the screen and can be recorded with
digital images or as video to document
damage for insurance or legal purposes.
The technician does not need to be in
contact with the wall and can scan and
locate wetness in a large room in a
few seconds. The Thermal Infrared Camera
has many advantages. All rooms in a
large building can be checked quickly,
digital images can be snapped and e-mailed
to a client. In only a few hours or
days a large hotel or apartment building
can be checked. Using a moisture meter
the inspector must touch each square
inch to check for moisture, therefore
he could not effectively check a building
even if he would spend a long time trying.
Surfaces that is beyond reach can easily
be checked with a Thermal Infrared Camera
but cannot be checked with a moisture
meter. Contact AQ and talk to an Thermal
Infrared Camera inspector to discuss
you needs, 800-606-8007.
If water is left in building material
more than 2-3 days there is a risk that
mold will develop and grow. The mold
damage may not be visible but may be
growing in hidden spaces. There are
new testing methods available that can
detect hidden mold in buildings. Contact
a mold expert for more information,
call 800-606-8007.
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